Flowers in the Attic

Film Studies/Flowers in the Attic

1. Who makes you angrier the mother or grandmother? Why? Give specific examples from the movie!

Holding too tightly on to ones beliefs can be a destructive and certainly unforgiving act. The grandmother holds on to her believe in God, and the mother holds too tightly onto the belief that money will solve all her problems.

2. What can we learn from the mother and grandmother holding on too tightly to their beliefs?Is there any belief/fact that we can absolutely know for certain?

3. What are parents' responsibilities?Notes to answer this question are below.

Given the movie, Flowers in the Attic, students will focus on character analysis by analyzing the relationship between the grandmother and the mother, the mother and her children, and the grandmother and the grandchildren. Each student will provide a short response to each of the above character relationships.

Given the TED talk, "How America fails New Parents" by Jessica Shortall students will evaluate Jessica Shortall's position on new mothers in America, and provide a response to two of her research findings on new motherhood.

Parental Responsibilities

Nobody ever said that children were easy to raise. Sons and daughters don't come with guidelines or instructions, and they certainly don't come with a "pause" button. What sons and daughters do come with is a crucial set of physical and emotional needs that must be met. Failure of the parents to meet these specific needs can have wide-ranging and long-lasting negative effects.

The following outline provides eight essential responsibilities that parents must adhere to in order to foster their child's physical and/or emotional well-being:

2. Provide your child with BASIC NEEDS. A. Water B. Plenty of nutritious foods C. Shelter D. A warm bed with sheets, blankets, and a pillow E. Medical care as needed/Medicine when ill F. Clothing that is appropriate for the weather conditions G. Space (a place where he or she can go to be alone)

3. Provide your child with SELF-ESTEEM NEEDS. A. Accept your child's uniqueness and respect his or her individuality. B. Encourage (don't push) your child to participate in a club, activity, or sport. C. Notice and acknowledge your child's achievements and pro-social behavior. D. Encourage proper hygiene (to look good is to feel good, or so they say!). E. Set expectations for your child that are realistic and age-appropriate. F. Use your child's misbehavior as a time to teach, not to criticize or ridicule.

7. Involve yourself in your child's EDUCATION. A. Communicate regularly with your child's teacher(s) B. Make sure that your child is completing his or her homework each night. C. Assist your child with his or her homework, but don't DO the homework. D. Talk to your child each day about school (what is being studied, any interesting events,...etc.). E. Recognize and acknowledge your child's academic achievements.

Now that we've looked at the responsibilities parents HAVE, let's look at what responsibilities parents do NOT have. The following is a list of responsibilities that no parent should be expected to meet.

1. Supplying your child with the most expensive designer clothes or shoes available.